The essentials of fitting hearing aids to babies

Abstract

Fitting hearing aids to infants requires special consideration at each stage of the process. In the assessment stage, electrophysiological hearing threshold estimates must be adjusted appropriately so that an accurate hearing aid fitting can occur. Ear canal acoustics are also important to consider during the assessment stage of the hearing aid fitting process for infants. A strategy for measuring the real-ear-to-coupler difference in infants is described in this article. Clinicians must also take into account the electroacoustic and nonelectroacoustic characteristics of the hearing aids that are chosen for the infant with hearing loss. Following the selection stage, verification that the electroacoustic performance of the chosen hearing aid is meeting the auditory characteristics of the infant is a vital part of the process. Finally, evaluation of the effectiveness of the device completes the hearing aid fitting process for infants with hearing loss. Each stage of the process is described in this article so that clinicians have information about the essentials of fitting hearing aids to infants with hearing loss. Copyright © 2013 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.